How has your news been ‘painted’?

by Nathan Cabral

According to a newspaper columnist and a communications professor bias is still unavoidable in the media.

Chris Vander Doelen, a columnist for the Windsor Star, says bias is unavoidable because everyone has their own opinions on a matter before they even pick up a paper. A reader will colour a story and therefore skew the story without the writers help. It’s unavoidable and therefore it’s up to a reader to search multiple news outlets to gather as much information as possible about a topic before making a decision.

 “The people at the university paint us as red when I know we’re, if anything, liberal,” said Vander Doelen.

James Winter a communications professor at the University of Windsor, said a reporter has an obligation to the public to be fair and accurate without allowing their bias to interfere. Although he agrees that all stories are inherently biased he claims that striving to tell a story objectively should not create a political bias in a story.

“Hiding behind bias is everywhere so we shouldn’t worry isn’t helping,” said Winter.

Winter said when a news source becomes bias to the public and is recognized for that bias the credibility turns to propaganda, whether or not the reader has coloured the story. Both sides can agree that removing bias completely from a story can’t be done.